Position and Title

Senior Professor of Liberal Arts, Tsinghua University

Former Vice President of Tsinghua University and Dean of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University

Wang Mingzhi, an expert in industrial design and art and design education, has long been engaged in industrial design education, research, and practice. He has led collaborative research projects between the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University, and CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd. He has also dedicated his efforts to the management of art and design institutions. From 2002 to 2013, he mentored 12 doctoral students. In 2018, he was named one of Tsinghua University’s first senior professors of liberal arts (retired in January 2020). Over his 50-year career, he has strived to advance the reform and innovative development of art and design education in China, making significant contributions to art and design teaching, academic discipline construction, and the promotion of art and design in China.

Professional Affiliations

·Advisor, China Artists Association

·Director, Art Discipline Committee of the National Higher Education Self-Study Examinations

·Director, Wu Guanzhong Art and Science Award Fund Management Committee, Tsinghua University

·Director, Academic Committee, Tsinghua University Art Museum

Education

·1962–1967: Studied in the Pattern Program and Industrial Art Program at the Central Academy of Crafts and Arts, under Professors Lei Guiyuan and Zheng Ke

·1978–1980: Graduate Program in Industrial Art, Central Academy of Crafts and Arts, under Professors Xi Xiaopeng and Pan Changhou

·1982–1984: Research Fellow, Department of Art and Design, University of Tsukuba, Japan, under Professor Yoshioka Michitaka

·1990 (January–July): Senior Visiting Scholar, Department of Art and Design, Tama Art University, Japan, under Professor Hirano Takuo

Former Positions

·Dean, Central Academy of Crafts and Arts (1997–1999)

·Vice President of Tsinghua University and Dean of the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University (1999–2004)

·Vice Chairman, China Artists Association (2003–2008)

·Member, 8th National Committee of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (2006)

·Member, 6th National Committee of the China Association for Science and Technology (2001–2006)

·Advisor, 6th Expert Advisory Group of the Beijing Municipal Government (1994)

Academic Affiliations

·Vice President, China Industrial Design Association

·Vice President, Beijing Industrial Design Promotion Association

·Visiting Professor, Xi’an Jiaotong University (2001–2003)

·Honorary Professor, School of Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2002–2003)

·Director, Industrial Design Art Committee, China Artists Association (2003–2018)

·Vice Chairman, 8th Academic Degree Evaluation Committee, Tsinghua University (2004–2007)

·Committee Member, China National Academy of Painting (2001–Present)

Research Focus

·Art and Design Education Research

·Industrial Design Innovation Methodology Research

Academic Philosophy
Design has existed since ancient times, emerging as humans consciously sought to protect and sustain themselves. The three essential elements of design are conditions, needs, and creativity. Conditions can be divided into natural environmental conditions and human-created production and processing conditions; needs include physiological and psychological demands, with functional needs being paramount for products; creativity encompasses both innovation and aesthetics. These three elements are independent yet interdependent. Regardless of technological advancements, the composition of these elements remains unchanged. As objective conditions evolve, human needs and creativity also adapt.

Modern industrial design arose with industrial society, rooted in batch production, standardization, and mechanical manufacturing. It aims to fulfill societal needs through mass production while addressing the adaptability and safety of machine-human interactions.

In the information age, industrial design should be based on digital technology platforms, embodying the values and aesthetics of the era. It seeks to meet diverse, personalized demands through flexible production systems, addressing issues such as cognition, interactive interfaces, information architecture, and emotional needs, thereby creating production models better suited to human life on new technological platforms.

Just as the invention of the steam engine signaled the dawn of the industrial era, we can reasonably assume that the world today merely marks the beginning of the information age. Future technologies will shape human life in unprecedented ways, requiring forward-thinking and innovative approaches to explore and create new possibilities.

Academic Achievements
Books

·Industrial Design (Adult Higher Education Series on Crafts and Arts) (1996), Shaanxi People’s Fine Arts Publishing House

·Product Design (China Art Education Series) (1999), China Academy of Art Press

·Introduction to Industrial Design (Higher Education Textbook) (2007), Higher Education Press

·Collected Works of Wang Mingzhi (2019), Tsinghua University Press. This collection presents 44 previously published works under four categories: “Integration and Development,” “Commemoration and Retrospect,” “Research and Exploration,” and “Exchange and Interaction.”

Awards

·1993: Second Prize, Teaching Achievement Award, Beijing Higher Education Institutions

·1995: First Prize, Excellent Industrial Design Award, China Light Industry Council, for Dongjian Air Purifier

·2019: Third Prize, China Art Award, at the 13th National Fine Arts Exhibition, for "Flying" Maglev Train Concept Design (led by Professor Zhang Lie, a key member of the Tsinghua Academy of Arts & Design and CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles collaboration team)

·2013: Outstanding Contribution Award, Tsinghua University

·1998: Special Government Allowance, State Council